greenspace

Kwaluseni- The Matsapha Town Board, University of eSwatini (UNESWA) societies and the Kwaluseni constituency, initiated an activity of not only cleaning improper dumping site at Mbikwakhe area but also challenging the members of the community to practise proper and safe dumping.

The river bank and the river itself was used as a dumping site. The water from the same river is used by people opposite Achievers Private School. They wash cars, irrigate vegetables and fetch it for domestic use.

There was evidence that the bridge at this area had been used as a dumping site for a long time, as such, waste was blocking water from flowing under the bridge. The water was now flowing on top of the bridge. SDG goal number 6 ‘clean water and sanitation’ was negatively affected by this. The waste was picked and packed in refuse bags and transported by a truck to a proper dumping site. In accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such an activity addresses the following goals in the SDGs:

Goal 3, in the sense that keeping a clean environment promotes ‘Good health and wellbeing’. Goal 6 in the sense that by collecting the waste like tins, plastics etc. from running water is a good move towards ‘clean water and sanitation’ hence there is no doubt that somewhere In as far as Goal 14 is concerned, the dirty waste like plastics, and tins etc. may be poisoners to ‘life under water’ like fish. Goal 15 since the waste is deposited into the river, there is a population somewhere (by Archivers Private School) which depend on this river for water. Livestock like cattle are likely to drink the plastics along with the water which can cause health problems for the hence protecting ‘Life on Land’. Goal 17 is addressed in the sense that the Green Team will consult a number of stakeholders like The Kwaluseni Constituency (and the public), community police, Eswatini Environmental Authority, Matsapha Town Board, as well as other societies in the university like UNECO hence ‘Partnership for the goals’

Awareness was raised by involving community members in this activity and by informing them about the importance of preserving clean water. Awareness was further raised through the media; a student representative, Green team chairperson and a community member were filmed by the Eswatini TV where they described the crisis and further urged people in all parts of the country to refrain from using rivers and any water sources as dumping sites. Awareness was further raised by publishing pictures taken at the even on social media as a way of challenging other societies to do the same. A billboard was also suggested as another way of raising awareness with the proposed inscription which says “Dumping is prohibited”.